The amount of cheese in the casserole startled me a little. It called for….(wait for it) one and half pounds of cheese! CAN YOU EVEN?!! Since there was more cheese than pasta (it used one pound of pasta) I worried it might be too rich but I decided to try it anyway. Then, one day at the hairdresser (not kidding!), I flipped through an old copy of Cook’s Country magazine and saw a promising recipe for a creamy macaroni and cheese. Was it impossible to make a macaroni and cheese at home that was both flavorful and creamy? One version even used Velveeta, and the result was creamy but I didn’t like the flavor. One recipe called for eggs in the sauce, making it more custard-like, while another used evaporated milk and half-and-half, creating a rich sauce that muted the flavor of the cheese. If a frozen macaroni and cheese achieved a creamy sauce, a homemade one could too, right?īut they never did. It kept me from grabbing her plate, running off, and eating the whole thing in one quick go. My reaction? Well, thank goodness for willpower. In the name of food research, I swiped a forkful from her plate (I wasn’t gluten-free at the time.). As she ate, I saw the appeal: the creaminess of the sauce. Like me, she generally prefers homemade to store bought. Years ago, I watched a friend zap a pan of frozen Stouffer’s macaroni and cheese in the microwave. Crazy, right? The few times I tried the American comfort classic, made with a cheddar sauce, I found it dry and unappealing. Gluten-Free Macaroni and Cheese: How a frozen dinner turned me into a fan.
If you prefer all Cheddar (or all Colby) go ahead and substitute to suit your tastes! The recipe uses both Cheddar and Colby cheese-the Cheddar brings the classic flavor of macaroni and cheese while the Colby makes it creamy.
If Mac ‘n Cheese is a favourite in your house you can upscale it into Lobster Macaroni and Cheese for a special occasion.Creamy gluten-free macaroni and cheese! YES! Oodles of cheese and a sweet rice flour-roux combine to make this a creamy, dreamy mac and cheese. It’s gluten free (you can check the Kraft website) and it keeps well in the fridge.
It is a cheese product and although I prefer real food as much as possible we think it makes the best sauce. It’s easy to find in the dairy section of any grocery store. Sharp cheddar is the preference in my kitchen and we like Kraft Maclaren’s Imperial sharp cold pack cheddar cheese product in the red plastic tub. Mac ‘n cheese in a box has a very orange coloured sauce with an assertive cheddar taste (it may be artificial but it does have a certain taste). For this recipe all you need is a whisk to make your roux, a few pots and some measuring cups. Kids might like these angled measuring cups which are easy to read from looking down into them. I like them for measuring milk and stock. Get The ToolsĪ basic sauce requires a few basic tools. My recipe has been stuck to the same container for thirty years yet I still look at it when I make this recipe. A little practice is all you need and once you get the basic recipe nailed I say print it and attach it to the cornstarch container. If your sauce is still too thin you can save it by adding more cornstarch. There are also a few more tricks to making a successful white sauce. If your recipe calls for ¼ cup flour then change it to 2 Tbsp cornstarch. No problem, switch to make it gluten free by using half the amount of cornstarch. But some of you might have learned to make a white sauce with flour. This is a basic recipe and there is little variation. You might remember broccoli with cheese sauce. Any type of cheese can be used but cheddar cheese is one of the classics. Some people make their white sauce with flour but I learned to make mine with cornstarch so it has always been gluten free.Īdd cheese to this basic white sauce and that’s cheese sauce. Simply melted butter with flour or cornstarch (known as a roux) with milk added to make a thick sauce. Basic White Sauce (AKA Béchamel Sauce)Ī basic white sauce is considered one of the mother sauces of French cuisine. I appreciate your support for this website. When you purchase using these links your cost is the same, but I receive a few cents for every dollar spent. Since my husband’s name is Jim and he made this dish at every overnight camp it was eventually renamed JD. In Canada we refer to the familiar box of Kraft Dinner as KD. He soon ended up making his mac and cheese. My husband always attended as a chaperone and volunteer. When my son was young he learned to make it and requested it for Scout camp. A North American favourite this is a quick dish that is so easy a ten year old can make it from scratch. I’m all about homemade and that includes macaroni and cheese.